


Unexpected Solace

by ChiQueen2019



Category: Pretty Little Liars
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-31
Updated: 2018-03-31
Packaged: 2019-04-16 10:47:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14163168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChiQueen2019/pseuds/ChiQueen2019
Summary: After finding out about her father's affair, Aria is overwhelmed with feelings of sadness, confusion and anger. While going off to vent, she finds herself being comforted by one of Rosewood's biggest nerds, "Loser Mona", a.k.a., Mona Vanderwaal. Can the goth of Alison Dilaurentis' clique find it within herself to confide to one of Rosewood High's biggest outcasts?





	Unexpected Solace

Aria Montgomery raced down the street she was on with hot tears racing down her eyes, not caring whoever or whatever was in her way or whether they saw crying or not.

Why? The reason being resonated through her mind as her mind flashed back to a rather unpleasant memory that happened not even thirty minutes ago.

 

It was a normal afternoon in October. Fourteen year old Aria Montgomery was walking with her friend, Alison Dilaurentis, the Queen Bee of Rosewood High School.

The two were walking through the neighborhood after getting a snack of frozen yogurt. Their walk was comfortable until….

"Alison!" The voice of one Mona Vanderwaal yelled, hoping for a chance to hang out with them. As a nerd in high school she didn't have a lot of friends. Even Hanna, who she was friends with back when they were younger, wasn't close with her anymore due to being picked up by Alison and inducted into her unofficial clique of sorts. Although she wasn't outright mean to her like Alison was, it still hurt Mona, especially when she did nothing to stop Alison's bullying towards her. Wasn't their former friendship worth anything to Hanna?

"Do you hear Mona?" Alison scoffed as Aria frowned before turning her head back to Mona.

"Hey, Aria! Hey, guys!" Mona shouted hoping to get their attention so that they could hang out together and start a bond together of sorts. While Alison seemed to outright dislike her, Aria didn't hold any ill will towards her and wasn't a direct bully of her.

"Maybe we should wait?" Aria suggested. She had nothing against Mona and honestly didn't understand why Alison bullied her the way she did. Alison rolled her eyes at Aria. Always so compassionate. Then again, that was the reason why she picked her to join her group.

Mona heard this and perked her head up hopefully. Maybe she could finally possibly make a new friend.. Finally, she wouldn't be alone anymore!

"Oh my god, is she ever gonna get a clue?" Alison laughed as Aria decided to go along with it as she smiled back at the blonde.

"What a dork! Switch?" Alison suggested as the two exchanged their frozen yogurts, giggling as they left Mona in the dust.

Mona felt tears build up in her eyes at the rejection before deciding to get some comfort food of sorts. Honestly, why were people in high school so mean? It was bad enough she and her best friend, Hanna Marin, drifted apart but now Hanna stands by and lets Alison bully her! What did she ever do to deserve such treatment? Sure she may've been unpopular but she didn't deserve to be treated like crap.

Aria and Alison continued running hoping Mona wasn't stupid enough to follow them. Alison and Aria stopped as Alison raised an eyebrow at what she saw above them.

"Isn't that your dad's car?" Alison asked as Aria went pale in her face as she realized it was indeed her dad's car but that wasn't what nearly made her drop the frozen yogurt from her hands. In her dad's car was her father kissing a woman, not her mother but a young blonde woman, the same one she saw in her dad's office only days ago.

Aria couldn't breathe as her dad looked up as he noticed her before going pale himself.

"Aria?" Alison asked her friend as she dropped the contents of the frozen yogurt onto the ground as she literally couldn't breathe.

"You okay?" Alison asked as she attempted to put a hand on the goth's shoulder before she walked off, too shocked for words.

"….Ali…I'm sorry but…I kinda…need to be…alone…." Aria muttered as she walked off in an attempt to try to process what she just saw.

 

Aria continued her trail as she growled in anger. How could her father do this!? How could he betray her!? Betray her entire family!? Did the years they all spend together as a happy family mean nothing to him!? How could he be so selfish!?

Aria continued her angry internal rant as she eventually found herself at Lucky Leons, albeit unintentionally.

She sighed as she wiped the tears from her eyes. Maybe some comfort food would do her some good….

And so she went inside and ordered herself a simple plain glazed donut. As she paid for and received her snack she couldn't stop the onslaught on tears that fell from her eyes, staining the donut and getting it wet although she didn't care about that when her father's betrayal was fresh in her mind.

"How….how could he do this? To me? To Mike? To mom? Do we….mean….nothing…to him?" Aria moaned as she felt herself sobbing before slumping herself onto her table as she buried herself in arms, doing nothing but the occasional shuffling of her head as she thought of her dad's vile actions.

She slowly dozed off to sleep hoping this was all just one big horrible nightmare before her phone went off, awakening her from her brief slumber as she narrowed her eyes as she noticed the ID of the person calling her.

"Dad….." Aria growled before switching her phone off, "What the hell could he want!? After the shit he pulled he's gonna try to worm his way out of this with some convincing words!?"

Aria then shoved her head back into her arms just hoping that this was all just one big cruel joke or a horrible nightmare.

Inside, Mona herself was getting a box of cupcakes to cope with her hurt feelings from earlier. Someday, she'd definitely get the friends she deserved. After all, no one is truly alone in this world, right?

As Mona received her order, she noticed a familiar stripe of pink hair slumped on a table outside.

"Is that…Aria?" Mona asked with a raised eyebrow. She then noticed the subtle shaking of her shoulders indicating that she was crying.

"I wonder what's wrong…" Mona thought as she started to walk outside. While a part of her was uncertain why she'd be willing to help someone who was rude to her earlier in addition to her just letting Alison bully her, the compassionate part of her won over as no one deserved to wallow in their sadness.

"Aria?" Mona timidly asked as Aria looked up from her depressive slump.

"Mona?" Aria replied as she was the last person she ever expected to see right now.

"What's wrong?" Mona asked as she took a seat right next to Aria, as Aria tried to compose herself.

"It's…nothing…" Aria sniffled as she tried to stop the tears from falling but to no avail.

"It sure doesn't sound like nothing." Mona softly replied as Aria frowned at Mona.

"Like I said, I'm fine!" Aria snapped as Mona was slightly taken aback by Aria's sudden change in demeanor before she scooted closer to Aria and gave her a firm expression.

"It's not good to keep your feelings bottled inside, Aria. It seems like you have something on your mind that you really need to get off your chest. You can tell me." Mona said comfortably as Aria looked at the outcast in shock. Why did she suddenly trust her of all people to talk to? She was right, she needed to get this feeling off her chest and it seemed like Mona was the perfect person to confide to.

"…It's my dad…." Aria shakenly began as Mona was silent, giving the pinkette a chance to speak.

"He…had an affair…." Aria reluctantly added as Mona's eyes went wide in shock.

"He what?" Mona asked with disgust evident in her voice. Parents were always supposed to be faithful to each other from what she always remembered.

"….Right after…I ran off from you….Ali and I…we saw…my dad…kissing another woman in the back of his car…." Aria moaned as tears of hurt and betrayal poured from her eyes.

"Here." Mona said as she handed Aria a handkerchief that she kept in her pocket. As a nerd, handkerchiefs were pretty necessary.

"Thanks." Aria thanked as she wiped her eyes and blew her nose.

"Why would he do something like that?" Mona asked with sympathy as Aria shook her head.

"I don't know! Did all the years he spent with me, my mom and brother mean absolutely nothing to us!? How could he betray all of us!?" Aria sobbed as Mona decided to take the crying girl into her arms within the form of a comforting embrace.

Aria was shocked at this but after a couple of seconds felt herself enjoying the feel of Mona. She felt so….warm…It was almost…sisterly…..

"It's okay…..Let it all out…" Mona said in a voice soothingly that her mother would often use on her whenever she would complain about a horrible day at school.

Aria did just that and let out all the tears she had out on Mona. Despite everything she did to her, why would Mona be so kind to her? Why did she feel safe with Mona?

After a couple of minutes Aria released herself from the hug, feeling relieved that she let out everything in her. Even if it was a person she wasn't on particularly good terms with.

Mona's face was full of concern and sympathy as she watched Aria wipe whatever tears were left on her face.

"Why don't you go inside to the bathroom and wash yourself up and I'll be here if you still wanna talk?" Mona suggested as she gave Aria's hand a gently and reassuring squeeze.

Aria nodded before she went to the bathroom and cleaned her face before wondering why she would ever choose to confide in Mona Vanderwaal of all people. Or even more puzzling, why would Mona even choose to be nice enough to give her comfort? With how she treated her earlier that day with essentially blacklisting her at lunch at Ali's suggestion along with basically giving her the middle finger by running off from her after she just wanted to hang out with them, she wouldn't have blamed her if she just walked by and ignored her suffering. But she didn't…..why?

Aria decided to get two bottled iced teas after coming out of the bathroom before going over to where Mona was still sitting, much to Aria's relief.

"Feeling better?" Mona asked.

"Not much but a little better, thanks." Aria replied with a small smile.

"That's good." Mona smiled back.

"Mona, mind if I ask you something?" Aria asked.

"Sure." Mona replied.

"Why're you being so nice to me?" Aria pondered as Mona raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" The nerd asked as Aria sighed with a frown.

"I mean, I haven't exactly been the nicest to you….None of us….Especially Hanna…And from what Ali said you two used to be friends, right?" Aria wondered as Mona sighed sadly.

"Yeah…we were friends in Elementary School but after fifth grade we sort of drifted apart….And now it's kind of like none of that ever happened…..I mean you girls aren't openly mean to me like Ali is but…." Mona began as Aria looked at the girl with sympathy. It wasn't fair…..Not only did Mona lose her only friend to Alison but she's now completely alone with no one on her side.

"But…we let her bully you all those times…..We never tried to stop her…..Just like today….we ignored you because she told us to and I even ran away from you when you just wanted to say hi on her orders…." Aria muttered as Mona sat in silence.

"I'm sorry for that." Aria genuinely apologized as Mona stared at the goth in shock before giving a small smile in gratitude.

"Thank you, Aria. That really means a lot." Mona gratefully thanked as Aria returned her smile with the first one she's had in over an hour.

Maybe Ali was wrong…It looks like Mona wasn't as bad after all…She supposed maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to give her a chance. It would be fair, after all.

"If you want, I can talk to Hanna for you?" Aria suggested as Mona looked up at the pinkette in slight shock.

"You'd really do that for me?" Mona asked. It was strange, not too long away she would've just went along with Alison's treatment of her but now she was going to do something on her behalf.

"Of course. You were nice to me when I didn't deserve it after all…." Aria smiled before she looked down at her phone. She sighed despondently knowing she had to go home and confront her father, sooner or later….

Mona sensing this put her hand on the girl's shoulder and gave her a comforting smile.

"It'll be okay, Aria. You can handle it. You are strong after all." Mona smiled as Aria was silent before returning her smile.

"Right, thank you Mona." Aria smiled before putting her jacket on before getting up.

"Well I have to go home now. I'll see you at school tomorrow, Mona." Aria began as Mona couldn't place her finger on what she's feeling inside.

"And you know something? You're not a loser." Aria smiled before getting up to leave before giving her a sideways smile.

"Thank you again." Aria sincerely thanked before leaving as Mona was stunned into silence.

Mona couldn't believe what just happened; this morning she had no one but within the last hour, she made herself a brand new friend?

Maybe…things wouldn't be so bad after all….

Maybe….if she got rid of the negative thoughts in her head and looked forward with some positivity maybe she could get friends of her own, stop being known as "Loser Mona" and get over the hold that Alison had over her.

Maybe…just maybe…..Things would be okay for her in the end…..


End file.
